Shack Chat: Which Disney world do you want to see in the Kingdom Hearts series?

Shack Chat is back once again, our weekly feature where each Friday where we’ll ask the Shacknews staff to give their opinion on a particular topic, then open the floor to our dedicated Chatty community to provide a diverse mixture of thoughts on the subject. It’s a great way for us to get to know one another better while inspiring healthy debates with all of you passionate gamers out there. 

Question: Which Disney world do you want to see in the Kingdom Hearts series?

Wall-E - Asif Khan, Has Mickey Mouse on his Apple Watch

It would be awesome to see Wall-E in the Kingdom Hearts universe. Not sure how post-apocalyptic Earth would fit into the lore of the series, but that would be my pick. Wall-E is probably my favorite Pixar movie.

The Emperor’s New Groove - Brittany Vincent, Senior Editor

The Emperor's New Groove was one of Disney's last great movies with traditional animation, and it was hilarious to me as a kid. Still is, and I love going back to it time and time again. A world based on the movie would be totally sick, especially if Kuzco could join your party and be totally useless. I really wish I could have all the cast in the world, too, including David Spade and Patrick Warburton. And while we're at it, why can't we have the cast from A Goofy Movie? I get Goofy isn't a single father in Kingdom Hearts, but...I just don't care. I think Max and P.J. need some time in-game. C'mon, we've already got Pete! 

The Princess and the Frog - Ozzie Mejia, Senior Editor

A Disney movie is often as good as its villain and the last of the truly great Disney villains was Doctor Facilier, a.k.a. The Shadow Man. Because of that, I wish the Kingdom Hearts would visit the Southern Bayou, taking players through the swamps and through Mardi Gras. The Princess and the Frog's setting would be something new to the series and the idea of The Shadow Man using the Heartless to grant him his voodoo power would fit into the storyline like a glove.

Wreck-It Ralph - Josh Hawkins, New To Shack Chat

No world in recent Disney movie history has been as diverse or alive feeling as the world portrayed in Wreck-It Ralph. Not only that, but the detail of the characters and their flaws really highlights this movie as one of my favorites, and I’d love to see some form of the world that we saw in the movie make it into a Kingdom Hearts game at some point. Sure, I know that Ralph already makes a bit of an appearance in the series, but seeing the world explored is still something I think could be cool down the line.

There’s a lot of room to work with here, considering how many games are connected to the arcade’s HUB, which means the developers shouldn’t have much trouble sorting some things for the players to do. Of course, there are also a lot of licensing things to worry about, so I wouldn’t be surprised if this is one we never really see come to fruition.

Star Wars - Kevin S. Tucker, Best-In-Class Rear Suspension

Hey, it’s a Disney universe now, right? Besides, what could better shake up the Kingdom Hearts formula than a bit of good old-fashioned science fiction? Throw in a couple of spaceships, maybe a nice Cantina scene, and the developers would have proper cause to create a Keyblade Lightsaber. Given that Pirates of the Caribbean made it into the Kingdom Hearts recipe, we already know Square Enix isn’t afraid to throw live-acted properties into the mix. Even if that was a problem, the Star Wars universe has loads of animated resources to draw on, to say nothing of the huge selection of printed fiction available. If the team ever decide to deep dive into an elaborate fictional canon, the Star Wars universe seems like the obvious choice.

Robin Hood - Blake Morse, Slightly soberer than Friar Tuck

I thought that having a Robin Hood world in a Kingdom Hearts game would’ve been a no-brainer, but here we are. All the stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, sword fights, archery competitions, and a rooster that sounds like a country-folk singer would’ve made for a great in-game experience. Maybe there were just too many forests already to justify adding old Sherwood. I guess it’s a long shot at this point that we’ll see the famous outlaw and his band of Merry Men make a Kingdom Hearts cameo, but I can always dream. Oo-de-lally, oo-de-lally, golly, what a day.

Cars - Charles Singletary Jr, Heartless

Having a fully fledged racing experience tossed into Kingdom Hearts would be a nice treat. Looking at how ridiculous the battles are in Kingdom Hearts 3, I’d be curious to see how the developers mix up racing with special team-ups and a boss battle.

The Rescuers Down Under - Sam Chandler, The Man from the Future

Put Australia in more games you cowards. While you’re at it, don’t hire some yank to put on an Aussie accent. It reeks more than a two-week old wheelie bin rottin’ in 35 degree heat. I know we’re heaps far away from everything down here, but with the power of the internet anything is possible. Maybe we’ll see Rescuers Down Under in the next iteration of Kingdom Hearts.

Marvel Universe - Greg Burke, Misses Disney Villains in Movies

I thought that this would certainly be the game to final have Sora team up with the famous X-Men or Avengers, but now instead we get Frozen? Really? Frozen? I’ll have to “let it go,” I guess. Still a little disappointed in the overall world choices Disney made, 'cause let's be honest, Disney made all of these choices, not Square. I feel Big Hero 6 was also a wasted world slot as well as a mediocre movie. This was definitely a more modern Kingdom Hearts experience with the only classic film worlds making an appearance being Hercules and Winnie the Pooh.

I was really hoping for some Wolverine, Cyclops and Storm, teaming up for some Sentinel-crushing Heartless action. But alas it wasn't meant to be. I’ll probably be skipping Kingdom Hearts 3 altogether. There are just no worlds that interest me, and with each game release after Kingdom Hearts 2 (there have been over 14) I grew less and less attached to the franchise, as the story became more and more convoluted, and honestly, dumb. Gonna be a hard pass for me on this time around, Having to spend 2 hours slugging through a Frozen-themed world listening to a remix of “Let It Go” is something I won’t be able to get through without vomiting, or until it goes on sale for twenty bucks.

Lilo & Stitch - Donovan Erskine, Intern

I’d love to see Lilo & Stitch’s interpretation of Hawaii in a Kingdom Hearts game. You could work with them to help find and capture all of Jumba’s missing experiments, similar to the plot of the animated series. The beautiful Hawaiian setting would make for some great side content as well. Surfing, hula festivals, and and other hawaiian hallmarks could be a really fun addition to the series.

Disagree with our picks? Think we're a bunch of clowns? Let us know in the Chatty below.

Shack Staff

Shack Staff stories are a collective effort with multiple staff members contributing. Many of our lists often involve entires from several editors, and our weekly Shack Chat is something we all contribute to as a group.